tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Mon Oct 04 03:35:01 2004

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Re: KLBC: (?) interrogative suffix on imperatives?

Raik Lorenz ([email protected]) 

> ghItlh Voragh:
> 
> > This can, of course, be translated literally:
> > HurDaq targh bItlhap'a'?
> 
> prefix: HurDaq targh Datlhap'a'?
> 
> This question sometimes confuses me (in german, or english) because I'm
> not 
> sure if it's a question or a command. Some people get angry then :-)
> 

... which I wanted to avoid. }}:-)


> A canon example I remember that starts with "Will you..." is
>    "Will you read my manuscript?"
>    {ghItlhwIj DalaD'a'}
> 
> But that is only a question to me, not a command.

I thought so, too. But I was somewhat puzzled by the "quod vide" example
from Latin, that might allow a Klingon translation as {yIleghbogh}. That's
more the direction I was pointing at, the general features and behaviour of
imperatives, especially concerning combination with suffixes.

 
> > HurDaq targh yItlhap, Ha'!
> > Take the targ out now!  Okay?
> 
> I've always known this expression as "let's go", from TKD:
> 
> <<<<<<<<<<<<
> These expressions stand as sentences in their own right.
>     {Ha'} "Let's go! Come on!"
> >>>>>>>>>>>>
> 
> When I hear
>    {HurDaq targh yItlhap, Ha'!}
> I understand the message that "we both go, and you take the targ."
> 
> > If {Ha'} isn't appropriate, a firm and menacing {DaH} is always 
> > effective:
> >
> > DaH HurDaq targh yItlhap!
> > Take the targ out now!
> 
> What is the effective thing here is the command. Klingons don't ask you, 
> they order you.
> 
> We have canon:
>    {HurDaq tu'HomI'raHvetlh yIlan!}
>    "Get that piece of junk out of here!"
> 
> BTW {HurDaq targh yItlhap} makes me think that I should take the targ
> which 
> is outside.

<l> that's not really what I meant! But maybe this is due to the verb which
I chose not so wisely to avoid this version.


> To get back to the initial question:
> There is no way to translate "do this, will you?" literally, because it's
> a 
> typical terran redundant expression. Klingons give clear commands.

This terran background is probably the highest hurdle to take while learning
Klingon. (BTW, why not "Terran"? I would consider Terra - as{tera'}- a
proper noun.)
But for English native speakers this should be a little less a problem as
most Klingonists are from America and thus influence conceptualization (of
words in Klingon as a second language) most.
Are most Klingonists Americans, only just BTW?

 
> {yItlhap jay'}
> {yItlhapqu'}
> {DaH yItlhap}
> {nom yItlhap}
> {yItlhap. yIruch.}

Okay, those help me out.


> Quvar.
> 
> 

Hoch Satlhoqu'!


-- qIno'rIq



PS: Tell me, if there are to many BTWs in my mails, BTW... }};-)


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